Biomedical subjects

Agnès Ferroni

Publications and source records attributed to Agnès Ferroni.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[Infections caused by multiresistant bacteria].

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is enhanced by antimicrobial selection pressure by antibiotics and the crossed transmission. Multiresistant bacteria (MRB) are involved in 1/5 of nosocomial infections and the 3/4 of the MRB are meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The epidemic diffusion of these strains is still poorly controlled in our hospitals. The fight against the diffusion of these bacteria requires not only to screen patients harbouring antibiotic-resistant bacteria and respect hygiene measures, but also actions aiming at reducing the weight of selection pressure by antibiotics.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2006

Development of a broad-range 16S rDNA real-time PCR for the diagnosis of septic arthritis in children.

The broad-range PCR has been successfully developed to search for fastidious, slow-growing or uncultured bacteria, and is mostly used when an empirical antibiotic treatment has already been initiated. The technique generally involves standard PCR targeting the gene coding for 16S ribosomal RNA, and includes a post-PCR visualisation step on agarose gel which is a potential source of cross-over contamination. In addition, interpretation of the presence of amplified products on gels can be difficult. We then developed a new SYBR Green-based, universal real-time PCR assay targeting the gene coding for 16S ribosomal RNA, coupled with sequencing of amplified products. The real-time PCR assay was evaluated on 94 articular fluid samples collected from children hospitalised for suspicion of septic arthritis, as compared to the results obtained with bacterial cultures and conventional broad-range PCR. DNA extraction was performed with the automated MagNa Pure system. We could detect DNA from various bacterial pathogens including fastidious bacteria (Kingella kingae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus) from 23% of cases of septic arthritis giving negative culture results. The real-time technique was easier to interpret and allowed to detect four more cases than conventional PCR. PCR based molecular techniques appear to be essential to perform in case of suspicion of septic arthritis, provided the increase of the diagnosed bacterial etiologies. Real-time PCR technique is a sensitive and reliable technique, which can replace conventional PCR for clinical specimens with negative bacterial culture.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Severe osteoarticular infection associated with Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus.

We report here a case of osteoarticular infection associated with Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus. The 3-year-old child presented osteoarthritis associated with toxic shock syndrome, which was complicated by thrombosis, pneumonia, and diaphysitis, despite appropriate antibiotic treatment. Osteitis associated with toxinogenic S. aureus is rarely described. This case highlights the need of early and aggressive surgical treatment, in addition to appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

Arthritis, Infectious↗

PubMed2006

Value of the chlorhexidine decontamination method for recovery of nontuberculous mycobacteria from sputum samples of patients with cystic fibrosis.

The chlorhexidine method was compared to the N-acetyl-l-cysteine-NaOH-oxalic acid decontamination method currently recommended for the recovery of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from patients with cystic fibrosis. Sputum samples (n = 827) treated with chlorhexidine yielded twice as many NTM-positive cultures as those treated by the reference method (54 [6.50%] versus 27 [3.25%]; P < 0.0001) despite a higher contamination rate (20% versus 14.2%; P = 0.0017).

Acetylcysteine↗

PubMed2005

Age-related prevalence and distribution of nontuberculous mycobacterial species among patients with cystic fibrosis.

We studied the prevalence and species distribution of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in relation to age in 385 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) (mean age +/- standard deviation [range], 12.0 +/- 6.1 [1 to 24] years; sex ratio, 0.53) attending three Parisian centers. The overall prevalence of NTM in sputum was 8.1% (31 out of 385). The following NTM were isolated (n = 33): Mycobacterium abscessus (n = 13, 39.4%), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) (n = 7, 21.2%), Mycobacterium gordonae (n = 6, 18.2%), and other (n = 7, 21.2%). Sixteen patients met the American Thoracic Society microbiological criteria for NTM infection, including 11 patients positive for M. abscessus, 4 for MAC, and 1 for MAC and Mycobacterium kansasii. The overall prevalence of NTM was significantly lower in patients under 15 years old than for patients equal to or more than 15 years old (4.8 versus 14.9%, respectively; P = 0.001). M. abscessus was isolated at all ages, while MAC was not recovered before 15 years (prevalence of 0.0 and 5.2% in patients aged 1 to 14 and 15 to 24, respectively; P = 0.001).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Measurement of immunoglobulin G against Mycobacterial antigen A60 in patients with cystic fibrosis and lung infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and prognosis of lung infections due to the emerging nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) Mycobacterium abscessus are difficult to establish in children with cystic fibrosis. METHODS: We evaluated the usefulness of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting serum IgG antibodies against the ubiquitous mycobacterial antigen A60. RESULTS: A total of 186 patients with cystic fibrosis (mean age+/-SD, 12.0+/-5.0 years) were studied, including 15 M. abscessus-positive patients who fulfilled American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria for NTM infection (M. abscessus-infected patients), 7 M. abscessus-positive patients who did not fulfill ATS criteria, 20 patients positive for various other NTM who did not fulfill ATS criteria, and 144 NTM-negative control patients; mean IgG titers (+/-SD) for these 4 groups were 718+/-342 U, 193+/-113 U, 129+/-49 U, and 121+/-53 U, respectively (M. abscessus-infected patients vs. each of the other groups, P<.005). The A60 IgG test was both sensitive (approximately 87%) and specific (approximately 95%) if adapted cutoff values were used (150 U and 250 U for patients aged 10 years, respectively) and correlated well with results of acid-fast bacilli smears. CONCLUSION: Measurement of anti-A60 IgG may be useful for both the diagnosis and assessment of activity of M. abscessus lung infection in persons with cystic fibrosis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2003

Mycobacterium abscessus and children with cystic fibrosis.

We prospectively studied 298 patients with cystic fibrosis (mean age 11.3 years; range 2 months to 32 years; sex ratio, 0.47) for nontuberculous mycobacteria in respiratory samples from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1999. Mycobacterium abscessus was by far the most prevalent nontuberculous mycobacterium: 15 patients (6 male, 9 female; mean age 11.9 years; range 2.5-22 years) had at least one positive sample for this microorganism (versus 6 patients positive for M. avium complex), including 10 with >3 positive samples (versus 3 patients for M. avium complex). The M. abscessus isolates from 14 patients were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis: each of the 14 patients harbored a unique strain, ruling out a common environmental reservoir or person-to-person transmission. Water samples collected in the cystic fibrosis center were negative for M. abscessus. This major mycobacterial pathogen in children and teenagers with cystic fibrosis does not appear to be acquired nosocomially.

Adolescent↗